ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Discarded West Indies batsman, Kyle Hope, will attempt to rekindle a career in shambles by returning to newly crowned domestic first class champions Barbados Pride for the upcoming professional season.
The 31-year-old, who has spent the last several seasons at Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, rejoins his native franchise after being picked up in the first round of Monday’s players draft staged by Cricket West Indies via Zoom.
Hope, an elegant right-hander, emerged as one of the region’s most promising batsmen when he gathered 553 runs for Red Force in the 2015-16 season and then followed up with 649 runs at an average of nearly 50 the next season, to force his way into the West Indies side.
But he failed miserably with 41 runs from six innings in three Tests on the 2017 tour of England and following low scores in the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe, was axed from the squad.
Hope, the older brother of Test and one-day star Shai Hope, has struggled since then and last season featured in just three matches for Red Force, scoring 170 runs at an average of 42.
Overall, Hope averages 29 from 50 first class matches.
While he returns home, veteran Barbadian all-rounder Kevin Stoute will head to Windward Islands Volcanoes as a first round pick.
Stoute, 34, has played 76 first class matches for Pride, scoring nearly 3 000 runs and taking 154 wickets with his medium pace.
Meanwhile, Guyanese left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd, a member of reigning Super50 Cup champions, West Indies Emerging Players, will feature for Leeward Islands Hurricanes after also being secured as a first round pick.
Nedd snared 11 wickets in the tournament last year and also represented West Indies Under-19s at the Youth World Cup in South Africa earlier this year.
The 12 players selected in the two rounds will complement the six franchises which had each retained 13 players prior to the draft.
Following is the full list of players selected during Monday’s draft:
ROUND 1
Leewards Hurricanes – Ashmead Nedd
Windward Volcanoes – Kevin Stoute
Jamaica Scorpions – Odean Smith
Guyana Jaguars – Ramaal Lewis
TT Red Force – Bryan Charles
Barbados Pride – Kyle Hope
ROUND 2
Leewards Hurricanes – Tyrone Williams Jr.
Windwards Volcanoes – Larry Edwards
Guyana Jaguars – Tevin Imlach
Jamaica Scorpions – Alwyn Williams
TT Red Force – Isaiah Rajah
Barbados Pride – Shamar Springer
